Whether it's at home or dining out, dinner isn't just dinner anymore. It's a "food experience," says Chef Mario Valdovinos, director of R&D Culinary Services for Tyson Foods.
"Today, there's a greater appetite for food to be an elevated experience," he says. "Millennials are shaping demand a bit differently, and food is very important for them. Their buying patterns indicate a preference toward food trucks, crafted foods and all-natural. When you think about the Taste of Northwest Arkansas, that really plays well into each of those attributes."
The premiere tasting event, set for Thursday at the Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion, is the first of two offerings making up the new Northwest Arkansas Food Festival. Created in concert with the ninth annual Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G, the Taste of Northwest Arkansas will be hosted by Valdovinos and celebrity chef Carla Hall of the hit ABC TV show "The Chew."
Also at the AMP during LPGA week will be first-ever Northwest Arkansas Beer & Burger Fest on June 26 and a concert by Grammy winner Colbie Caillat on June 27.
Both of the new food events are sold out, encouraging tournament director Harry Hardy in his estimation that the region is ready for something new.
"As more and more people have taken interest, the tournament has become a community event more than a sports event," Hardy says. "Collectively, as a team, we started thinking about what our next expansion would be. With the growth of the culinary scene in Northwest Arkansas, this seemed a clear direction to take."
"I've watched a trend develop in all sports events and live events," he says. "People want to enjoy a great food experience, not just entertainment. Gone are the days of hot dogs and hamburgers. People expect to get more."
"When you think about great sporting events, they are multi-dimensional," Valdovinos agrees. "More broadly, this also elevates and highlights the food culture in our area."
What happens in the future? Hardy says "I could see it growing to more than two days, see it growing to involve kids in some daytime programs -- that's where I think the next step would be -- and bringing it not just to the AMP but into the other downtown areas has been talked about as well."
And might it separate itself from the LPGA event?
"We'll see if there's an appetite for this to stand alone," Hardy says.
-- Becca Martin-Brown
NAN What's Up on 06/19/2015